Necessarily, the role of women in the military, already highly significant, must grow more. Investigative show "Pealtnägija" spoke with four women who have not been conscripted, but have already chosen a career as professional soldiers, including the first female special forces operative.

Almost a month ago now, Estonia marked its 107th Independence Day with the traditional parade in Tallinn's Vabaduse väljak.
While women were prominently represented in almost every unit or group, some still went unnoticed, even by experienced parade commentators.

In reality, two women marched in their unit's front rank, next to the flag, with Special Operations Forces (Erioperatsioonide väejuhatus, or ESTSOF), the most clandestine and physically and psychologically demanding military unit.

These two exceptionally resilient women, whose identities must remain classified, made history by being the first known women members to pass ESTSOF selection. More broadly, of course, a woman in uniform is not such a rarity. The Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) currently has approximately 4,200 active personnel, of whom about 300 — 8 percent — are women.

There has been much discussion recently about how women have increasingly joined the volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit), which has long had its affiliated women's organization, Naiskodukaitse, as well as the girl's equivalent, Kodutütred.

The outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine led to a spike in membership of the Defense League too.

But what of women who choose a full-time military career?

Capt. Madli Pärnik (35) is a staff officer in the operational and training section of the air defence division (Õhukaitsedivisjon).

She said: "My mother has been a very active member of the Defense League for a long time, and I think that's where the first push derived from. I was already in Kodutütred when I was about seven years old."

"I graduated from high school in 2009. At that time, the laws and regulations did not support women joining up. I probably didn't have sufficient courage to either. I think the desire was always inside me, but I just didn't dare. /.../ I guess I was thinking about what society might think, what my friends would think — that women are not usually in the military, that it's still primarily a male sphere. So, I decided to just go to [civilian] work. I mostly worked in the service sector. /.../ I also worked as a bartender in nightclubs. At some point, I just felt that this wasn't what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, so I thought, I'll try joining up, see if I like it, and then decide from there," Pärnik continued.

Junior Sgt Kristel Leola (29) is a platoon commander in the Military Police's guard battalion (Sõjaväepolitsei vahipataljon).

Leola said: "I was in primary school when a new activity leader came to our school and started organizing Kodutütred troops. Since I was attending school in the countryside and had an hour to wait for my bus, I thought I'd check it out. And pretty soon, I was at my first camp, my first patrol contest, and it all went from there. /.../ When I turned 18, I joined the Defense League during my last year of high school. I attended exercises with the Defense League at weekends, and as soon as I graduated, I went to serve in the [regular EDF] Kuperjanov Battalion."

Estonia changed its laws in 2013 to enable women to complete service (Ajateenistus) voluntarily and without major obstacles. Previously, only a few exceptionally determined girls had done so alongside the guys, but after the legislative change, the number has remained around 50 per year. Leola was one of several in her unit to complete her service voluntarily, i.e., were not drafted, and to reach the end of the term.

"With me there were five other women doing conscription at the same time, and since women have the option to leave within the first 90 days — essentially to raise both hands and say, 'I don't want to go on with this' — one of them did so and left. The rest of us completed it together," she said.

Pärnik said: "I don't remember the first day precisely, but it was quite intimidating; my pulse was a bit higher than usual. But I think I have the kind of personality where I just see what happens—what's the worst that could happen?"

Lt Col. Katrin Tõugjas (43) is the chief of staff of the support command.

For her: "There was no conscription for women in my time, so I got my education and training in other ways, through various courses. I graduated from the aviation college—now the Aviation Academy (Lennuakadeemia) — but since my field was airfield operations, my career options were only related to airfields. Since there was already active communication between the aviation academy and the Air Force at that time, joining the Air Force was a very natural step for me," she said.

While Tõugjas as a lieutenant colonel is a high-ranking officer, no woman in Estonia has yet risen to the rank of general – in fact, Tõugjas and several other women have reached the glass ceiling so far.

As for her current work, Tõugjas said she: "Coordinates the work of the support command's staff sections. Our main role is to ensure that military logistics are provided across the entire defense force."

Perhaps it's because it's a smaller EDF branch, but proportionally, the Air Force (Õhuvägi) has the highest percentage of women, serving — also serves in that part of the military.

"Today, I serve in the Air Force's air defense division. It's a very new unit. Major challenges lie ahead—soon, the medium-range air defense system Iris-T will arrive in Estonia."

Leola has served on two overseas missions in Afghanistan during her career.

"The missions lasted six months each. The first time was in 2018, and the second in 2020. The main task there was personal protection. After serving in the Scouts Battalion, I moved to the Military Police guard battalion, where I was initially an instructor, later becoming a platoon commander," Leola said.

"As a platoon commander, my job is to ensure all have the best possible equipment and to maintain unit discipline and morale. Since January, I have been temporarily stationed at headquarters, assisting in the training section's work," she added.

Estonia's first woman special forces operative: Women can handle the same tasks as men

The identity of the fourth person to speak to "Pealtnägija" had to remain anonymous, while all personal and other details remain confidential information.
This is because she serves with ESTSOF, whose members and exact duties are, as with most special forces units, completely classified.

The only somewhat public aspect is the selection process, which in theory is open to all.

"Kaia" (name changed – ed.) was the first to pass selection and its infamous, grueling tests.

"Kaia" said: "Selection tests a person's endurance, both physically and mentally. The tasks are never revealed or described to recruits in advance. Adaptability plays a huge role here /.../ One aspect of the process involves completing a task for as long as necessary until someone in the team breaks. This is one way to test both the team spirit that has developed and an individual's willingness to stay committed to the team. Some of the tasks lasted well over 30 hours."

Following on from "Kaia," other women have also passed selection — though again exactly how many remains classified information. As far as is publicly known, no women serve in the civilian rapid response police units or its K-Commando SWAT team.

Kaia said her belief is that women can handle tasks just as well as the men, and that gender is not a defining factor at this level. "I wouldn't draw a strong distinction between men and women in that regard. I think women manage tasks just as well as men, be it's special operations or something else."

Little else about the elite unit is public knowledge except that it has taken in various foreign operations, including in Mali, when the EDF was contributing to French-led operations in the West African nation.

"Kaia" is not permitted to state whether she served in Mali or not.

Population fall raises question of greater role for women in the military

Due to the tense geopolitical situation, Estonia is significantly boosting its defense budget, while discussion on whether Estonia should adopt a defense model similar to that of Israel, where conscription is mandatory for both men and women, is ongoing.

Demographics support this argument: Estonia's population is both shrinking and aging, meaning there will be fewer young men to draft into military service in the future.

For example, 6,367 boys were born in 1999. Between 2007 and 2010, birth rates for that gender peaked at an average of around 8,100 boys per year. Yet last year, only 4,900 boys were born.

At present, the military requires 4,000 conscripts annually to fulfill its tasks. Over time, this means drafting a larger proportion of each age group. Today, 55 percent of 18- to 21-year-olds get conscripted; by 2040, that number could rise to 70–80 percent.

Inevitably, this raises questions about an increased role for women in the armed forces.

Leola said: "Conscription reflects a cross-section of Estonian society, but if we look at physical education classes, we can see that not all men are in top physical shape either. The greater factor is willpower and motivation — whether a person wants to do it or not," said Leola.

"Kaia" said: "I don't think we should artificially boost the number of women in the security forces; it should remain a personal choice for women whether they want to contribute or not. However, I do think women shouldn't hesitate too much — women are incredibly capable," said Kaia.

While the military has historically been known for its high testosterone levels and strict hierarchy, the women interviewed by "Pealtnägija" stated that they have encountered no discrimination or negative attitudes in the hitherto male-dominated domain. However, they did say that sometimes they have had to prove themselves even harder than the men do.

Leola said: "During one march, a fellow soldier asked me, 'Leola, when are you going to quit?' At first, I didn't understand the point of the question. Then he said he couldn't quit before I did — his ego wouldn't allow it. In the end, because I completed it, he completed it too."

Tõugjas said: "Personally, I find it very easy to work with men — they are actually very cooperative. And I don't focus at all on whether something is physically harder or whether the training is more difficult. The same standards and challenges apply to all."

Femininity need not be sacrificed

Overall, the women told "Pealtnägija" that a career in military uniform, in modern times and in peacetime, is ultimately just another job — and also that femininity does not have to be sacrificed to serve in this particular area.

Tõugjas said: "In reality, the regulations specify that, for example, earrings must be of a certain size and no larger; that hairstyles must conform to the guidelines, and that nail polish should generally be neutral. But at the same time, nothing is outright forbidden in the sense that you can't wear earrings at all," Tõugjas explained.

Pärnik said: "Certainly there are feminine activities and things I enjoy — like gardening and flowers at home, for example. Perhaps my feminine side is expressed more at home."

Outside of work, the women lead relatively ordinary lives.

Leola said: "I interact with people a lot and have to communicate with them constantly, so in my free time, I try to spend time on myself — I go for a long run or to the gym, where I can clear my mind and disconnect from work."

Tõugjas said: "I love seeing the world, I love traveling — whenever I get the chance. Naturally, my family also plays a very big role in my life."

For "Kaia," the situation was not dissimilar despite the special role she serves in.
"I'm a pretty ordinary person and spend my free time being active outdoors with close ones. In that sense, when my workday ends, I don't go straight to the shooting range to continue honing my skills. I'm just a regular woman. I wear well-maintained, painted nails in my free time, and so on," she said.

Leola added: "When I go out to dinner with my partner, I still put on a dress and make myself look nice. I think that's part of being a woman. Just because I work with dozens of men it doesn't follow that I have to become one."

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